CHAPEL HILL, N.C. --- The Jacksonville Dolphins went down to the wire with a ranked opponent for the second-straight game, falling to the No. 6 North Carolina Tar Heels, 11-10, Saturday afternoon.

The Dolphins (0-2) were led by a stout defensive performance, including a 15-save performance from graduate student net-minder Ryan Della Rocco. Senior Jack Taylor led the offense, notching his second-consecutive four-point game, finishing with one goal and three assists.

Jacksonville struck first with a man-up finish from sophomore Daylin John-Hill, deking past a diving defenseman and finishing at the crease. After the Tar Heels evened the score, freshman Zane Czeschin caught a rocket pass inside from Taylor and finished through contact to put JU back in front.

North Carolina showed its Top 10 might, scoring two straight to retake the lead. Freshman Parker Addison took the ball from just inside the restraining line, spinning inside and firing a rocket from range to tie the game up at three. 

The Tar Heels took the lead with a goal before the quarter break and another in the second, but the defense held firm the rest of the half to keep the game at 5-3 into the locker room.

Addison brought the Dolphins back one after halftime, dunking home a pass from senior Tate Jones. North Carolina scored three unanswered goals as the third quarter ticked away. With under a second to play, junior William Krupski broke free and bounced a shot past the net-minder as the clock expired.

After another Tar Heel goal, the Dolphins found another gear on offense.

On the fast break, sophomore Lucas Fraser handled the ball past the restraining line. He passed it off to Taylor who pushed it one more to senior Nicky Brown for a dunk on the doorstep. North Carolina scored another to get to 10, but the Dolphins would take the next four.

Taylor and Brown set up a two-man game in the low lefty wing. Taylor rejected the pick and attacked inside, flipping the ball over to a slipping Brown who got to the crease and scored. 

On the ensuing faceoff, junior faceoff man Drew Rippeon disrupted the opening clamp to get the ball into midfield. Senior midfielder knocked away a UNC stick, goosed the ball ahead and rumbled into open space. 

He fired a shot on the run, lasering the ball past the goalie as he took a massive shot from a sliding defenseman. The Dolphins went on the man-up after the late hit. John-Hill found a sliver of space above goalline extended, sliding a shot low past the goalie to cut the deficit to one. 

Taylor took the ball with under four minutes to go, initiating a long dodge from deep below goalline extended. He won a foot race with his defender, rolling inside and diving in the crease to score the game tying goal.

The Tar Heels ended the run, taking the lead with 2:26 left to play. The Dolphins called timeout with 46 seconds to play, giving them one last chance to force overtime for the second consecutive game.

Taylor earned a final shot, but the effort went wide, ending the game with an 11-10 defeat.

Game Notes

• John-Hill has scored in every game of his college career against ranked opponents.
• Della Rocco has recorded at least 15 saves in back-to-back games for the second time in his career. 
• Rippeon finished 12-23 (52.1%) against preseason first-team All-American Brady Wambach at the stripe. 
• Taylor has recorded at least four points in eight straight games dating back to last season.

Head Coach John Galloway
"Obviously we are very disappointed with the outcome of today. There is a sense of frustration in the locker room that I believe to be the best sign of this team. They believe in themselves and we believe in them. UNC is a fantastic team and our guys didn't back down from the challenge. We will refuse the moral victory, and we'll get to work against a talented Le Moyne team next week.

I do want to recognize the incredible individual performances from Drew Rippeon, Ryan Della Rocco, Breyden Harrison, Aaron Toguri, Josh Hedderich and George Bowdouris. That is an elite offense and they were fearless in their approach. We will need that and more as we move forward."

Up Next
The Dolphins will play in front of the home faithful at Rock Beach for the first time next week, hosting the Le Moyne Dolphins Saturday, Feb. 14. Opening faceoff is slated for noon.